Episode 65 – Task Level Prioritization With Stickies and Dots

We are accustomed to prioritizing backlogs - product and sprint - but we may not be as accustomed to prioritizing our day. This technique is often overlooked by teams, and yet how often do we find the day has gotten away from us because we made a choice to work on something that may not have been the highest-value target?

The solution is easy and cheap - a pad of index-card sized sticky notes and a sharpie pen
In no particular order, write down all your ‘todos’ for the day. It’s ok to include non-project or personal items.
Leave at least 1/4 of the card free for new items as the day progresses.
Find ONE top priority item and give it 5 dots. Give everything else a 4 or a 3. For things that are unclear, give it 1 dot.
Tackle the ONE and ONLY ONE 5-star first. Only after its done can you move to the next-highest item. Find a 4, and make it a 5.
You can change priorities any time - just add more dots to move it up higher.
This method is incredibly intuitive, forces you to stay focused and finish work, is simple and portable.